Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (2)

By: Beth McHugh 2008

In the previous article on this disorder we
looked at the story of Terry, an intelligent postgrad student whose
career had stalled and marriage was failing due to the presence of obsessive–compulsive
personality disorder (OCPD).

As explained in the previous article, OCPD is unrelated to the more
well-known obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which commonly involves
behaviors driven by obsessive thoughts, such as repeated hand washing
and checking of locks on doors and windows.

Today we look at the case of Shaun who possesses many of the characteristics
of Terry. His preoccupation with his job and the minute details of his
daily life leave him with little time for his friends and family. In
fact, Shaun has no friends. His conversation is almost completely restricted
to his job, which others find uninteresting especially as he relates
the minutest details of his day-to-day working life which would interest
nobody. He seems to be oblivious to the effect he has on others.

Both Terry and Shaun are “masters of control” although
the condition is also common among women. Sufferers frequently hoard
objects, many of which have little use or are, in fact, useless or broken.
Shaun’s house and garage is littered with old books, pieces of
machinery, rusted and broken hardware, and other junk. While many people
hold on to useful objects “just in case,” sufferers of this
disorder collect and amass material that is clearly unusable. Yet they
are unable to part with it, and will even lose a marital partner as
a result of this condition rather than deal with the mess in the backyard.

Yet, in is daily life, Shaun is meticulous. So meticulous that he has
to get up in the morning several hours before he leaves the house so
that he can accommodate the routines that form part of his morning rituals.
Like Terry, he has a sent pattern and order to his morning routines
and can become upset if something happens to make his plans change.

Shaun is also miserly with his money. So much so that he will use and
re-use cling wrap and objects to what he calls “excessive spending”
by his wife. He questions most things that are placed in the shopping
trolley and frequent arguments ensue over expenditure. Shaun’s
marriage is also in trouble, all due to the problem he has with regulating
the thoughts that accompany this personality disorder.

In the next article in this
series, we will look at the diagnostic criteria for OCPD.